


Baby, It's Cold Outside

by astudyinfic



Series: Holidays 2020 [2]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: Banter, Fluff, James breaks things, M/M, Not Beta Read, Q fixes them, attempts at humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:48:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27841771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astudyinfic/pseuds/astudyinfic
Summary: Bond returned the car in pieces, again.  Q is determined to punish him for that.It backfires on him spectacularly.
Relationships: James Bond/Q
Series: Holidays 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2036116
Comments: 6
Kudos: 63





	Baby, It's Cold Outside

**Author's Note:**

> **Day 2: Chilly**
> 
> Prompts can be found [here](https://astudyinfic.tumblr.com/post/635866337200259072/decided-it-was-time-for-a-new-holiday-prompt-list).

After yet another mission where Bond's car returned to Q-Branch in pieces, the agent was without a vehicle until Q and his technicians could fix it up. 

Again. 

And James Bond wasn't about to be caught riding the tube. 

They could have borrowed a different car from the department but Q was still rather sore about what happened to the last one - James, there are only so many times I can put this back together before it's gone for good - and not feeling very generous. Bond could walk until he learned to appreciate what Q did for him. 

He did not anticipate the way this would backfire on himself, however. 

James Bond was a walking space heater. He was _always_ warm. A fact that often enjoyed as he was a heat sink and constantly looking to soak up warmth wherever he could get it. Curled up in bed with James on a winter night was Q's favorite place to be. 

They walked out of the new MI6 headquarters to head for home, Q would have preferred to be home in bed. Or back in his office. Or literally anywhere but walking home near the Thames on a cold London December night. His teeth were chattering before they even made it to the street. But damn if he was going to give James the pleasure of knowing how miserable he was. This was James's punishment!

Q pulled his jacket tighter around himself, dipping his head against the wind that bit at his cheeks and nose, and tried not to look like he was going to die. 

James, the arsehole, whistled under his breath and looked for all the world like he was taking a stroll in the middle of summer for how uncomfortable he was. Q wanted to punch him. Or demand that James warm him up. Maybe both. They would both make him feel better. 

"Are you alright?" James asked and Q didn't need to look up to see the smile tugging at the corners of his lips. 

Gritting his teeth to keep from chattering, Q nodded. "I'm f-fine." He cursed himself for stuttering even the smallest bit and stepped slightly farther away from James so the other man couldn't see him shiver. And so Q couldn't see him laugh at him. Nobody ever said that Q was without pride. It had been his downfall a number of times, and hypothermia tonight would just be the latest in a long list.

Q never noticed just how far his flat was from MI6 before. Other times when he didn't have a car to get him to and from, he would simply take the tube like a normal person. But James Bond was far from normal in so many ways and being in a crowded train put him back into work-mode and work-mode James was likely to kill first and ask questions later. It really was better for everyone if he just had his car. 

But it served him right not to have a car, even for one night. Q could close his eyes and picture the small bits of the Aston Martin that were brought back into the garage at Q-Branch. His anger helped warm him a little and Q made it another block before he began to shiver once more. 

"Are you sure you're alright?" James asked again and Q sent him a blistering look. Of course, he bloody wasn't alright but he would be damned if he admitted it. "It is a little chilly out here."

Chilly was an understatement. It was well below freezing and there had been talk of snow overnight. The damp London air only made the cold more penetrating and Q was almost ready to admit defeat. 

James saved him from it and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close. Almost immediately, his warmth started to seep through Q's clothing. He took a moment to recognize the fact that if the heat was getting in, his own minuscule amount had probably been seeping out but for now, he was thankful just to bask in James's warmth. "Why must you be so stubborn?" James's chuckle warmed Q even more and he sighed, resting his head on his lover's shoulder. 

"Why m-must you always d-d-destroy everything I make for you?" Q countered, not even bother trying to hide his chattering teeth. He didn't know why he thought he could hide anything from James in the first place. The man was a spy, for god's sake. He would notice something like that. 

James pulled Q closer and kissed the top of his hat covered head. "Because you and I both enjoy it. I like seeing your indignant expressions and you enjoy lecturing me. You also like to rebuild the things I break. Don't even pretend otherwise."

Q wanted to argue, he really did. But James had a point and he knew it. R had once said that the way they talked to one another was some sort of terrible foreplay and Q was forced to agree. They did enjoy bickering over it. Q did enjoy rebuilding the things. He could always find something new to make it even better. 

But the point remained that it was expensive tech and Bond should at least try to keep it whole. When he pointed that out, James had the audacity to laugh. "I kept the first gun you gave me whole."

"The one you fed to a Komodo d-dragon?"

"I'm certain the lizard swallowed it whole."

Q sighed, praying to whatever god might be listening for patience. "That is not the p-point, James and you know it." A shiver ran through him and he curled closer to James's side as a black car pulled up beside them. He raised a brow at James who needed at the vehicle. 

"Get in. They'll take us the rest of the way."

Q recognized it as one of MI6's cars, the ones they used to chauffeur people around the city for official business. They were not a taxi service but it appeared when you were 007 those kinds of rules didn't apply. "When d-d-did you c-call them?"

"Before we left, when I realized you truly meant to walk home. You made it farther than I expected. They've driven by three times already."

As much as Q didn't want to let James win, it really was cold and he couldn't argue it any longer. "I really hate you, you know that?"

"I do. Love you too." 

Q climbed into the car, relishing the warmth as he settled into the seat and James moved to sit next to him. Q practically wrapped himself around his lover as the car pulled into traffic and headed for his home. His shivers died down and Q only felt chilled, not frozen. It really had been far too cold to try and make his point. Next time, he would wait until spring before exacting his revenge. 

James would probably only destroy the car three or four more times before then. 


End file.
